The present invention relates to an apparatus for removing fiber-like material by suction, particularly in a bale opener of the type having a stationary suction duct which, along its upper side, has a continuous longitudinal slot covered by a flexible cover belt, whereby the interior of the suction duct is sealed against outside air. The cover belt leaves open a reciprocatingly movable interstice through which the fiber tufts are introduced into the suction duct.
In a known apparatus of the above outlined type the cover belt is fastened at both its ends and is trained about deflecting rollers at the head of the suction duct. The cover belt extends in two superposed layers from the deflection roller on one side of the interstice to a deflection roller at one end of the traveling path of the bale opener and from the deflection roller at the other side of the interstice to the other end of the traveling path. While this arrangement which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,764, is an improvement over other prior art devices, if a plurality of textile fiber bales, for example, a set of 50 freestanding bales, are to be processed in sequence, a correspondingly long cover belt may be difficult to handle.